Operating mechanism for ventilating wings



Jan. 11, 1944. J. B. PARSONS v OPERATING MECHANISM FOR VENTILATING WINGS Filed July 16, 1942 gvwe/Moa him 3. 31mm;

Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR VENTILATING WINGS 1 Claim.

This invention relates to vehicles but particularly to automotive vehicles equipped with ventilating vanes or panels which are mounted for rocking movements to deflect air to the inside of the vehicle or withdraw air from the inside, and an object is to produce new and improved mechanism for actuating such ventilating vanes or panels so that automatically the vane may be swung or rocked to position of use or to its closed position.

Another object is to produce a simple and efficient assembly for attachment in an automotive vehicle which can be conveniently installed, is simple and inexpensive in construction, by which the ventilating vane can be efiiciently operated.

A further object is to produce an assembly of the above character by which the vane can be actuated in one direction by fluid pressure, such for example as liquid under pressure, and in the opposite direction by a coil spring.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown on the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a front end portion of an automobile showing a ventilating vane and a part of the body structure broken away to show the unit for operating the vane;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation partly in vertical section of the operating mechanism for the vane, the parts being shown in the position assumed when the vane is in its open or ventilating position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the assembly with the piston in its upward limit of movement with the coil spring compressed, the ventilating vane in this position of the mechanism being in its fully closed position; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises an automobile body ll) having a side window opening H at the front end of which, separated by an upright post I2. is an opening l3 generally triangular in shape, to receive a similarly shaped ventilating vane or panel M, which has the usual metal frame portion I5. The vane I4 is mounted for pivotal or rocking movements upon an up and down axis. In this instance, an upper pin l6 and a lower pin or shaft l1 suitably mounted in bearings in the body It], support the vane in position. The lower shaft I! for the vane has an extension [8 substantially semicylindrical in cross section and abutting against the side of the extension !8 is a semi-cylindrical shaft portion 19 which is suitably bolted or riveted to the extension I8.

The shaft portion !9 forms a part of the unitary assembly U which can be mounted in the automobile body directly below the shaft IT and in axial alignment with such shaft. Thus, for example, when the ventilating vane [4 to be operated, is in the door of the vehicle, the assembly U can conveniently be inserted between the inner and outer door panels in an extremely simple and convenient manner.

The assembly U comprises a cylinder 20 which is closed at its top by a plug or disc 2| which is Fitting the inside of the cylinder 2o is a piston 27 which is slidable longitudinally therein. Be-

low the piston 21 is a solenoid controlled valve generally indicated at 28 and which receives its current from a binding post 29. Detail illustration of the solenoid controlled valve is not givenbecause it is well-known to those skilled in the art. Suffice it to say upon energizing the solenoid, the valve is unseated, thereby enabling fluid under pressure such as oil, to be pumped into 7 the cylinder 2% through the tube 38. Ordinarily the switch controlling the solenoid 29, at the same time the solenoid is energized, energizes the motor driven pump thereby forcing fluid under pressure into the cylinder to cause the piston 21 to move upwardly. After the piston 21 has been moved to the desired position, the solenoid is released or de-energized, whereupon the valve automatically closes, and. traps the fluid within the cylinder and below the piston for holding the piston in the desired position. Reference is hereby made to my Patent No. 2,279,243, dated April '7, 1942, entitled Solenoid actuated valve, wherein more detail description and illustration of a valve of this character is given Fixed to the piston 21 and projecting upwardly therefrom is a tubular piston rod 3i which reciprocates within a sleeve 32 disposed within the The lower end of the cylinder 2!} and having a flanged upper end fixed to the head 2! by rivets 33. Formed on the inside of the sleeve 32 is a pair of grooves 34 which are arranged in diametrically opposed relation and extend substantially from end to end of the sleeve. Carried by the upper end of the piston rod 3| is a pair of pins 35 and on the outer end of each pin is an enlarged head 36 which has a sliding fit with the adjacent groove 34. In this manner it will be apparent that the tubular piston rod 3| can reciprocate within the sleeve 32 but turning movements of the piston rod are prevented by the heads 36 on the pins 35. The inner ends of the pins 35 project inwardly within the hollow bore of the piston 35 and engage in helical grooves 3? respectively formed in an actuating shaft which is disposed within the sleeve 32 concentrically therewith. It will be manifest from the above description that as the tubular piston rod 3i moves upwardly, rotative movement is imparted to the actuating shaft 323 in one direction. n the other hand, when the piston rod 3| moves downwardly, the actuating shaft 38 is rotated in the opposite direction.

The upper end of the actuating shaft 38 has a reduced end 35 which projects through the head or disc 2!, washers Qt being interposed between the shoulder on the shaft 38 and the head 2i. In this instance there are two washers as, the lower one being a fibre washer and the upper one being a cupped metallic washer which when the shaft 33 is in place, forces the fibre washer against the shoulder on the shaft 33 so as to impose friction on the shaft, thus militating against movement of the ventilating vane M in its angular position of adjustment. Thus in effect the washer arrangement provides a friction brake which assists in holding the vane in the desired position of adjustment. The outer side of the head 2| is socketed to receive a stub shaft 4!. The stub shaft GI is formed with a socket 422 to receive the reduced end 3i and a pin 42 passing through the stub shaft and reduced end portion 39, holds these parts together.

Interposed between the flanged end of the sleeve 32 and the piston Zl is a helically coiled spring 43. As shown, the spring embraces the sleeve 32 which holds it in the desired position.

From the above description, it will be understood that when fluid under pressure is introduced to the cylinder 28 from the tube 3! and the solenoid controlled valve is opened by introducing electrical current to the binding post 29, the piston 2? is forced upwardly and through the connections described the stub shaft 4! is rotated to impart closing movement to the ventilating vane l-". At the same time the coil spring 43 is compressed as indicated in Figure 3. As soon as the circuit is broken, so far as the binding post 29 is concerned, the fluid or liquid within the cylinder 20 is trapped, thereby retaining the piston 27 in the position of adjustment. On the other hand, when it is desired to move the ventilating vane M in the opposite direction or toward its open position, the circuit is closed supplying current to the binding post 29 to open the valve and allow the coil spring 43 to move the piston 27 downwardly forcing the liquid from the cylinder 20 through the tube 30 to any suitable reservoir. During the downward movement of the piston 27, through the connections described, the stub shaft 4| is rotated in the opposite direction thereby imparting opening movement to the ventilating vane 14. The vane can be retained in any position of adjustment between fully opened or fully closed positions, the liquid trapped within the cylinder 29 holding the piston 21 against movement in one direction and the coil spring 43 resisting any tendency to move in the opposite direction.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced an extremely simple and compact assembly which can be readily and conveniently installed, for example, in the door of an automobile and connected to the ventilating vane quickly and economically, it being merely necessary then to lead a tube and the wiring from the door to operate the same. In this manner it does not require any particular change in the vehicle body structure to accommodate the device.

It is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a vehicle, a ventilating vane mounted for rocking movements in an up and down aXis and having a shaft depending from the lower axial mounting, and an operating assembly attached to said depending shaft, said operating assembly comprising a cylinder, a piston movable longitudinally of said cylinder, means for supplying fluid pressure to one end of the cylinder for driving the piston in one direction, a tubular piston rod, a stationary sleeve within which said piston rod slides, means for holding said rod from turning movements within said sleeve, a shaft concentric with said sleeve and over which said piston rod reciprocates, a connection between said piston rod and said last shaft for imparting turning movements to the latter from reciprocation of the former, a connection between said last shaft and said vane shaft, a coil spring fitting the outer periphery of said sleeve and bearing against said piston for driving same in the opposite direction, and a friction brake cooperating with said concentric shaft for holding the vane in adjusted position.

JOHN B. PARSONS. 

